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March 7, 1981
The 118th episode was hosted by former cast member Bill Murray. It was notable for two reasons: There was a one-time name and format change for Weekend Update, in which it was done in three segments and called Saturday Night NewsLine. It was also the last episode for producer Jean Doumanian and much of the cast. The episode contained two references to Charles Rocket's use of the "F" word on the previous episode. This was the second-to-last episode of season 6. The following episode would be delayed due to the replacement of Doumanian by Dick Ebersol. Due to a reorganization under Ebersol, this episode was the last for Gilbert Gottfried, Charles Rocket, Ann Risley, as well as all three featured players (Matthew Laurance, Patrick Weathers, and Yvonne Hudson). Sketches and Performances thumb|right|250px|Mark King as Dr. Jonathan Lear on Saturday Night NewsLine thumb|right|250px|''Saturday Night Newsline'', all three segments *It Just Doesn't Matter: Bill Murray gives a pep talk to the cast members, telling them that it really doesn't matter that they're compared to the original cast, assuring them that they're good in their own right. He gives advice to each cast member, and references the previous night's profanity by telling Charles Rocket "Watch your mouth; clean it up, okay?" *Montage *Bill Murray's Monologue *Formula for the Good Life *Script in Development *Altered Walter *Delbert McClinton and Bonnie Bramlett perform "Givin' It Up For Your Love" *Saturday Night NewsLine: Science Edition. Mark King appears as Dr. Jonathan Lear. He mistakenly refers to the segment as "Saturday Night Live NewsLine, though the correct name appears on the wall behind him. *Chapstick Celebrities *Saturday Night NewsLine: Arts and Leisure. Bill Murray hosts. He nominates his own picks for the Oscars, naming former SNL cast members and their movies, earning an enthusiastic response from the audience. *Cut Flowers: Brian Doyle-Murray does a cameo with his brother.https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YsPeUuy4b6o *Nick Rivers: Paul Shaffer does a cameo as Rivers' piano player. *Saturday Night NewsLine with Charles Rocket. News segment; Joe Piscopo contributes on sports. He makes reference to hockey pucks, leading to the second reference to Rocket's profanity, when Rocket asks, "Did you say 'puck'?" He also gets mixed up on which camera he should face at the end of the broadcast. *No Sex With Mary *What's The Cat's Name? *Delbert McClinton and Bonnie Bramlett perform "Shotgun Rider" *Bubba's Wash, Fayetta's Dry *Goodnights Aftermath Murray provided a much-needed boost to SNL, after critics had regularly panned the earlier episodes from the season. NBC had already decided to replace producer Jean Doumanian; her replacement, Dick Ebersol, was in attendance at the taping. Doumanian was let go the following Monday, and at Ebersol's insistence, the show went on a month-long hiatus. Ebersol wished to replace the entire cast save Murphy and Piscopo, but due to the cost of buying out the contracts of those being released, he could not fire all of them. Therefore, he released Gottfried, Risley, Rocket, and all three featured players; Dillon and Matthius remained for the final episode of the season, before also getting the ax.Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live Cast Repertory Performers *Denny Dillon *Gilbert Gottfried *Gail Matthius *Eddie Murphy *Joe Piscopo *Ann Risley *Charles Rocket Featured Performers (uncredited) *Yvonne Hudson *Matthew Laurance *Patrick Weathers Notes Category:Episodes Category:Season 6